Old Woods
The Old Woods (aka the Wood and Old Wood) are old forest lands that borders the Kingdom of Daventry. Background One patch of the forest lies about a league to east, about four miles away from the castleKOS, 39. Other sections lie to the south and west. The forest is vast stretching many miles. It is the location of the kingdom of Fairie ruled by Quilli'ehennan, and Culatha the king and queens of the Wood, thus the forest is a neighboring kingdom to Daventry. Although some of Daventry's farm lands lie beyond it. The Old Woods where faeries live are also known as faery woods. The forest has existed since before the fairies moved there, and has existed there long before there was even a Kingdom of Daventry.SNW, 166 The wood is indeed Old, and has existed in times before humans, and before faeries even.KQKOS, 59 The term Old Woods is also refers to any of several stands of old-growth deciduous forest, generally inhabited by woodland fairies.SNW, pg The Old Woods near the Kingdom of Daventry are one of the most famous in the world.SNW, pg)TFC, pg, KoS, pg. The Old Woods were not merely old in name, but had been there longer than there had been a kingdom of Daventry.SNW, 166 The Old Woods were not merely old in name, but had been there longer than there had been a kingdom of Daventry.KQSNW, 166 The Old Woods contain faery magic, and magic older than the faery.SNW, 166It is the place where faeries and other fantastical creatures dwell.KOS, pg11 It goes back to the time of the Old in the reckoning of the trees themselves, a time before even the Woodland faeries moved there. King Graham and Valanice were the first to enter the forest after being summoned by the Elkrider, in order to talk to the Fairy King Quilli'ehennan, and find out that Graham had to save Ahi'aorina (who later became known as Culatha) from the imps of Sorrowing Court. Years later Rosella entered the forest to get away from some sloks, and was nearly killed by some mischievous fairies, but was saved by a white faery (who claimed she was a friend of her father). Who then lead her out of the forest. Years later Alexander entered a section of the forest on his way to dark castle. He encountered the fairies, and Culatha gave him Green Wallet to help him on his journey because the floating castle not only threatened Daventry but the Old Woods as well. Time appears to move differently in the woods than the surrounding lands, as people going into the old woods may only be there a few minutes from their POV, but hours or days or even years could have passed outside the forest. What may seem like an hour, could be a year or more.KOS, 34 Though the effects aren't always the same, and may be different each time they enter the woods, it is caused by the effects of faery magic, and magic much older than even the fairies. The Cyclopedia had this to say about Old Woods, and Faery woods in general; :Old Woods; Any of several stands of old-growth deciduous forest, generally inhabited by woodland fairies. :Faery wood; Faery woods exist in several kingdoms of the eastern continent. The Dale of Solitude and the Stream of Yilia'mureia are landmarks in the Old Wood. Notes The wood appears to have sentience (see Ents), and remembers times before the faeries. Some of the trees communicate with the faeries even, the forest has grown accustomed to the faeries. The Wood had not felt grief for 10,000 years or more (in a time before the faeries). The coming of the continuing winter brought grief to the Wood. The Old Wood appears boarder Daventry around the west, south and east edge of the realm. In See No Weevil, Rosella visits a portion of the forest on the southern edge of Daventry and to the east. In KoS Graham travels through a large portion of the forest that borders the eastern edge of the kingdom. In TFC, Alexander travels through a portion of the forest located to the south and west of the kingdom (while its not quite clear, Morowyn appears to live in western portion of the Old Woods, or in a forest just north of the western portions of the forest). Alexander describes this edge of this Old Wood lying to the west as the 'eastern edge' of the forest. It lies fairly close to one of Daventry's rivers, though the name of the river is not given during the story. The eastern woods, lay beyond the borders of Daventry at the time. Graham had no authority beyond the limits of the fields, and no desire to rule more.KOS, pg 11 Behind the scenes The Wood is called the Old Wood in Kingdom of Sorrow and The Floating Castle, and the Old Woods in See No Weevil. It is likely inspired by the darker forests of King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown. In The Floating Castle, Alexander travels south from the castle along a southern road (perhaps the north-south road mentioned in SNW), then roughly west via a secret path (near a pond), reaching another road perpendicular to the path, he is forced to cross over the road, and enters into the eastern edge of the Old Wood (that runs parallel to the road) this suggests that he had entered Old Woods to the west of Castle Daventry. This forest appears to be south of the woods where Morowyn lives, and his woods may be part of it. They then apparently travel further south a little ways before returning to the road, crossing it back to the east, across the road from the woods, enter into Daventry's farmlands. Directions are a little difficult to follow in TFC, as they are usually only mentioned in relation to location of objects like the sun (if time of day was known may offer some directional clues (assuming suns position is east to west through the day)), or lightning, rather than traveling directions. The author instead uses 'right' and 'left' to describe the character's perspective. There are only a few references that imply traveling direction, based on a location, and if Alexander was traveling towards it; such as 'eastern edge of the Old Wood', one reference to Alexander leaving south from the castle, and finally the directions he took to reach the forest where Morowyn lives. In Kingdom of Sorrow the Graham travels through the Old Wood to the east of Castle Daventry, to the lands beyond. He later passes along the lowlands near the southern edge of the Glass Mountains, and later the Woods. They find an old trade road, and turn north (this again may be based on the north-south road, but its unclear), later pass through a small grove of wild cherry trees, and then reach the farmlands on the southern edge Daventry. Culatha ends up separating from him, and entering into the Wood on the east side of the road. This suggests that Woods are split in two at a certain point, with a largely open area leading into the southern hills of Daventry along the trade road. This road also lead further south to the sea (as suggested in a line in SWN), where daventry keeps its port. In See No Weevil, Rosella travels a bit south and east into into the Old Woods, she comes out later they come out to the side of the north-south road, to the southern edge of the kingdom. Its also explained that Old Woods is a number of groves. There may be implication that the Woods extend parallel to the southern border of Daventry to the east and west. In which case the book showing another grove than the one seen in previous novels, which might explain the use of the plural in cyclopedia entry But she may be in the southeastern edge of the old wood, the same section in which Culatha entered the woods at the end of Kingdom of Sorrow when returning to her domain (and which it mentions Graham followed near the edge before heading back towards the castle). The north-south road is probably the same trade road Graham was traveling in KoS, it appears to split the forest into two (between the eastern woods, and the one that boarders the south and western edges of the kingdom). The road apparently leads straight to Daventry. This is probably the same road Alexander initially travels south on before moving onto the secret path in TFC. Other roads appear to branch off from the road, and these lead to the town of Daventry and other places including Merilee RIver and festival grounds to the west. It's unclear if the three sections of the Old Woods from the three novels are connected or separate groves. Although KoS suggests that a road and farmlands on the southern edge of Daventry splits the eastern and southern parts of the woods. Alexander seems to also visit some of these farms in TFC. There seems to be at least two groves on each side of the road. Even still, the woodland faeries appear in all the groves, and Culatha rules both (the faery court appears in eastern forest in KoS, and in a party grove apears in the southwestern forest in TFC). In the world map of KQ8, Daventry is surrounded on several sides by dense groves of Woods, including woods to the north, south, and east. A particularly large section of woods is directly 'north' of daventry and has a river passing through it. It is the only section of the map that does not receive color throughout the game's load screens. It is one of the only regions not visited (besides the shoreline). References category:Forests category:Places (TFC) category:Places (KoS) category:Places (SNW) Category:Kingdoms Category:Ents